The race to get bills signed into law before President Joe Biden leaves office is on, and two water bills sponsored by Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Denver, are trying to get on that list.

The first is an extension of the Colorado River Basin System Conservation Act, which earlier this year put $125 million into the system conservation pilot program operated by the Upper Colorado River Commission. Under the latest iteration, the act would be extended until 2026.

The system conservation pilot program is a voluntary, temporary, and compensated agreement to conserve consumptive use (or depletion) of agricultural, municipal, or industrial water. It was tested between 2015 and 2018 and allowed lapses, but it was restarted in 2023. However, the program does not require water conservation targets.

The second, the Drought Preparedness Act, would

• Reauthorize the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act through 2028

• Continue authorities for the Department of the Interior to prepare drought contingency plans and provide technical assistance to State, local, and Tribal governments on their drought contingency plans

• Maintain authorities for DOI loans to water users for drought mitigation projects and

• Support emergency response actions to minimize damages from drought.

Both bills received approval from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and will now be sent to the full Senate for a final vote.

Both measures are also bipartisan; the Conservation Act extension is cosponsored by Sens. John Barasso, R-Wyoming; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming; Colorado’s senior Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver; and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.

In a statement in June, when the bills were introduced, Hickenlooper said “We need to work together to address the Colorado River crisis, and conservation is one part of the puzzle. Let’s finish the pilot program and determine what works best for Colorado’s communities and our farmers.”

Barasso added, “Wyoming, along with other Colorado River Basin states, have worked together to conserve water in the Colorado River system. Programs like the System Conservation Pilot Project are critical to helping address drought issues across these states.” This “bipartisan legislation extends this program and provides our farmers and ranchers with resources to conserve water in the Colorado River and the lakes they depend on.”

Lummis and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon cosponsor the drought bill.